IPTV to grow 52 percent annually through 2012 says study

According to a report from IMS Research, by the end of the year 2007, more than 13 million households worldwide subscriber to Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) services. It predicts that by the end of the year 2012, that number will have grown to around 69 million households worldwide, translating into an average annual growth of 52 percent.

This growth is expected to elevate shipments of IPTV set-top boxes to 21 million in the year 2012, compared to the 4.7 million figure for 2006. According to the report, hybrid set-top boxes (set-top boxes that combine Internet Protocol features with traditional TV delivery technologies) will see growth too.

The hybrids will see shipments of 39 million in 2012 compared to less than 5 million in 2006. The IMS report predicts that prices of IPTV technology and services will "continue to fall as increased integration of multiple codecs into a single chip helps to reduce manufacturing costs over time."

It stands for Internet Protocol Televison. Your picture comes in over mostly fiber optics. Sometimes to the house sometimes to a cabinet near your home, then to your home on copper pairs. Basically it's the competition to incumbent cable providers. I have it and it works pretty well. Lots of HD channels and some interactive stuff which is being added to over time.